By Isabella Torregiani
6:02pm PST, Feb 23, 2026
_
Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in seven films between 2001 to 2011, told
People that he and his former costars —
Rupert Grint and
Emma Watson — share the same feelings about the new cast.
"We have all said, you know, you just see pictures of these kids and you just want to grab them and hug them. That's the impulse that I think that we, mainly, all have," he said.
Dominic McLaughlin,
Alastair Stout and
Arabella Stanton will play Harry, Ron and Hermione in the upcoming HBO series, which will trace the iconic characters as they begin their adventure at Hogwarts.
_
Daniel Radcliffe said he, Rupert Grint and
Emma Watson have stayed in close contact about the new adaptation, which will turn each of
J.K. Rowling's seven books into a separate season of the show.
He added that they've been reflecting on "how surreal [it is] to watch people starting off on that journey, all those years later."
_
After production began in July 2025, photos from set and casting announcements were released online, giving the original actors a glimpse of what the new cast is going through.
"It's one of those [things] where I think we all just know how the others feel, because we're also feeling it,"
Daniel Radcliffe said.
_
It also takes
Daniel Radcliffe back to when he was just a child starting the same journey.
"When you're 11, and you're doing something, you're like, 'Of course, I'm old enough to do this — I'm the oldest I've ever been.' But now when I meet 11 year olds, I am like, 'Whoa, that seems nuts.' It puts [everything] into perspective," he said.
"Honestly, it makes me admire — and I do tell them this — but my parents, more than I was capable of doing at the time. Just going like, 'Wow, you got me through something crazy, and you did it with a huge amount of humor,'" he added.
